Underneath all that Hotness
by PuPuKeKex3
Summary: Aomine's first day on the job. He meets his very first client. And experiences his first real romance. (AoKa)
1. Light the Match

Summary: **Aomine's first day on the job. He meets his very first client. And experiences his first real romance.**

Rating: **R**

Warnings: AoKa, **Language, Mature Themes, Smut Later On**

 **Underneath all that Hotness**

Part 1

 **Light the Match**

Evidence that it was almost Christmas in Japan was everywhere. But especially in this neighborhood. A snowman in front of every house. Christmas lights and window decorations on every property. Roofs decked out with Santa, reindeer, and bells of holly.

Aomine wasn't one of those guys who hated Christmas. He was the type to judge people for overdoing it. And every single person in this goddamn neighborhood was a showoff.

When he pulled up in front of his client's – Kagami Taiga's - house, it was no different from the rest.

He should just call and quit his job. He wasn't looking forward to meeting this guy. He was probably as annoying and over the top as all the rest.

And pray to God – who he didn't believe in – that the kids weren't home. He only liked kids that didn't ask questions.

Aomine was kind of in a bad mood right now, anyways. It wasn't necessary to summarize all the events leading up to this point. It was 11:00 in the morning. He woke up only 30 minutes ago, realizing he had to be on time for his first day at work. He laid back down for 15 minutes. And in the last 15, he magically showered, dressed, and drove like a mad man through the streets to make it here on time.

By on time, he meant late. At least he didn't have to tell his dad he quit his job. He'd probably get fired, instead. He hoped so. He wasn't going to college just to become a repairman. He'd have a better job in a few years.

Until then, he was standing on the doorstep of this person named Kagami. Tool box in one hand and a frown on his face.

He rang the doorbell…

Five minutes later, he rang the doorbell. Again. He was the only impatient man on earth who waited this long for someone to open the door. Even when it was below 0 outside and a wind chill that made it 20 degrees colder.

Now he was waiting just to get into a fight with his client. This Kagami. This asshole son of a..

He heard the sound of locks clicking, the knob turning. And finally…

There was a soft white glow – Aomine was sure he imagined it – that became brighter as the door opened, and then…

"Sorry about that…"

A quiet gasp escaped from his lips.

"I forgot you were coming."

Holy… who the hell..? God. The door opened all the way, and the first thing he saw was glistening muscles. In winter, the sun was shining brightly enough, complimenting this man with a pretty peach tan. Like the season returned to summer. Aomine's temperature rose as his eyes trailed down the tight body of a swimmer, covered in drops of water rolling down his chest, twin rows of abs, and the dip of that taut v-line. A creation of a God. Body perfect enough to make him temporarily forget his troubles in the world.

"Uh... are you okay?"

He hadn't heard a thing. His sense of hearing faded out as soon as he laid eyes on this gorgeous man. His brain flat lining, and all he really knew how to do was stare at this flat chested- _woah_.

He flinched, all of a sudden startled by the lack of tits.

"You called about a leak." He said, annoyance written in his expression and tone. His dark gaze swept up from the low riding towel on the redhead's waist to the suspicious look on his face.

"Wait… YOU'RE the repair man?"

Aomine was speechless once again. Also slightly insulted by the question. Though he shouldn't have been. It wasn't like he fit the "repair man" stereotype. No big belly. Not bald. Young. Very good looking. Not very friendly. If it wasn't for the tool belt at his waist and the tool box in his hand, it wouldn't be so obvious that he was here to fix a broken sink.

"Tch…" Not really in the mood to prove anything, and feeling like he'd waited out in the cold long enough, Aomine stepped forward, his shoulder brushing his client's on the way inside.

"O-oi…"

Aomine briefly ignored the gorgeous redhead, looking around the place. It was tidy. And simple. Warm... a place he could get used to.

"You're Kagami, right?"

He already knew that, but expectations he had about who Kagami was or looked like were blown to pieces. So Aomine felt some introductions were necessary.

"Yeah I... hey!"

Aomine kept walking further into the house, searching around on his own. Kagami followed behind him, skimpy towel clinging to his hips and thighs. The slightly taller, dark haired bluenette stopped once he found the kitchen. Turning to face Kagami, he had half a mind to say something about how inappropriate it was to invite a stranger into your house wearing a towel practically hanging off your ass.

But Aomine wasn't one to complain about nudity. At least he had some eye candy to keep him from falling asleep under the sink.

"When did you notice the leak?"

"Um.. a few weeks ago..?"

"Your shower and all other plumbing works fine?"

"I think…"

Kagami scratched his head, and Aomine raised a fine brow. He looked Kagami up and down for the hundredth time, eyes narrowing as he wondered if Kagami was either an airhead or an idiot.

"Weren't you just in the shower?"

"Yeah." Taiga looked down at his own body, just remembering that he was 99.9 percent naked. "The water didn't get that hot I guess.."

Aomine tore his eyes away, dropping his toolbox onto the floor and crouching down. He opened the cabinet and inspected the pipes.

With his back turned, he couldn't see Kagami standing there a little bashfully. Maybe because he was only in a towel with a stranger in his house. Or maybe because he was dying to say something and break the suddenly awkward silence.

"So… are you from around here?"

Aomine's fingers were gently feeling on the pipe, but froze when Kagami spoke. With his eyes not glued to Kagami's goods, he'd come to his senses. He could concentrate on things he hadn't before. Like how Kagami's voice had a smooth, calming sound. It wasn't as deep, and satin-like as Aomine's own, but it was still nice to listen to.

Not like most of his girlfriends. Their high pitched, almost squeaky voices made Aomine wince on more than a few occasions.

"I go to school around here." He muttered. His school wasn't actually anywhere near here, but didn't think it mattered too much. He was just entertaining some small talk.

"What are you studying?"

"Engineering."

"Really? Then… you're pretty smart, aren't you?"

"Hn." Aomine hid his smirk as he slid his head and shoulders into the cabinet under the sink, still forcing his eyes to stay focused under the sink. So he could do his job right. "I'm good with my hands. So I figured I'd build cars or something for a living."

"You like cars?"

"It's what my dad does."

Aomine worked in silence for several long seconds. While loosening the nut on the pipe, he wondered if Kagami had walked out. A quick peek from under the sink and he discovered that Kagami was still there. As soon as he realized this, Aomine once again became preoccupied with memorizing every detail of that lean figure, and getting a nice view of Kagami's damp, shaved peach skin.

Kagami was leaning against the frame of the entrance, rubbing the back of his neck. His face a lighter shade of red than his hair. When Aomine noticed Kagami's discomfort, he tore his eyes away and tried to remember what he going to do to this leaking pipe that he was supposed to be fixing.

"Hey…"

Aomine pretended to be too focused to respond. Calmly loosening a nut with his wrench.

"What's your name?"

It was asked in a friendly, almost timid way. But for some reason it scared the hell out of Aomine. He yanked on the wrench by accident, while still turning it and broke the rusted pipe. The water sitting inside poured all over him, causing him to jump up from under the cabinet, hair dripping, shoulders soaked, and Aomine coughing as he choked on water.

"I would offer you CPR… but I'm guessing you only need a towel."

He could hear how funny Kagami thought this was.

"Yeah. Both actually. And if you can hand me the towel around your waist that would be great."

Is what Aomine started to say. But in reality…

"Sounds good. Just not the one around your waist."

Of course he wasn't going to argue if Kagami decided to take it off anyway.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that. Be right back."

Kagami left. Aomine figured he went up the stairs in the hall.

He caught his breath while Kagami was gone. And as he sat on the floor, he started feeling like an idiot for having that reaction. It was no big deal for someone to ask for your name. And Kagami was hot as hell. Aomine was usually more than happy to give his name to any sexy person that asked. And it's not like he'd only given his name to people that he wanted to bang.

Aomine no longer found it interesting or strange… he was attracted to a guy with red hair and nice pecs. Not tits. And that was the fact of the matter.

Kagami returned in 3 short minutes and tossed Aomine a towel with surprising accuracy. He caught it. But before drying his face, he noted that Kagami had gotten dressed in a nice pair of black jeans. Actually, they were just regular jeans that looked nice because Kagami was the one wearing them.

Not only that, but fashion wise, maybe they had similar styles. Aomine could see himself wearing a pair that looked just like that, and hopefully looked just as good on him. He wondered what color shoes Kagami would pick to wear with them.

That aside, even before noticing that Kagami had put on jeans while upstairs, Aomine was thrilled to see those lovely pair of pecs he was strangely obsessed with. But Aomine briefly wondered why he hadn't put on a shirt.

Was Kagami shirtless for a living or what?

"Thanks."

"No problem. So what's your name?"

"Aomine."

The atmosphere seemed a little more relaxed. Aomine was collected now that he admitted his attraction to Kagami, despite identifying as heterosexual all his life. And some time alone with his thoughts upstairs helped Taiga regain his courage in having a normal conversation with Aomine. Without seeming desperate to be his friend.

"Do you really know CPR?" Aomine asked, catching Kagami a little off guard.

"On weekends I work as a lifeguard. But I learned CPR when I was living in America."

As soon as Kagami mentioned America, Aomine's dark blue eyes pinpointed the ring attached to the necklace around his neck. Aomine was normally observant. He'd already studied every physical mark and quality of Kagami's body. But hadn't noticed the necklace until now.

"My friend gave this to me when we were growing up in the states. He's the reason I came back to Japan a few years ago."

At this moment, Aomine and Kagami were for the first time sharing a thought. They wondered each other's age. But for some reason, they still felt too weird to ask that. For Kagami, it was even weirder than asking for Aomine's name.

"You're American?"

"Japanese-American. My mom and dad are Japanese, but they raised me in Los Angeles."

"No wonder you have an accent."

"Liar. I grew up bilingual."

Now that Aomine was less in shock about his attraction, and Taiga more comfortable asking questions about him, they were able to have a pretty normal conversation.

Kagami did most of the talking as Aomine resumed working under the sink. He told the dark haired man a little about his life in America. That he missed his friends and family only after being gone for 3 years. But life in Japan wasn't that bad. He knew some really great people. He had 3 different jobs. Life guard on the weekends. Bartender 3 nights a week. And though it wasn't a paying job, he enjoyed volunteering at the community center in his neighborhood, where he taught little grade school kids how to play basketball. Aomine tried to be discreet as he figured out ways to get Kagami to talk about himself, without making it seem like he was dying to get to know Kagami.

He hadn't anticipated telling Kagami more about himself either.

"Were you born in December?"

"No, August."

"Seriously? Me too. I was born on the 2nd."

"31st."

"Then you really are one year older than me."

Aomine had intentionally let it slip that he was 20 years old. Then Kagami told him that he was 19. They were both relieved to finally know this information. And Aomine didn't think much about it, but Kagami was kind of fascinated that both their birthdays were in August.

"Want something to drink?"

"I'm fine."

Aomine continued working with the sink. Even though he had to replace a part, talking with Kagami was the real reason that it took longer than necessary. Besides, there were times when Taiga was talking, not looking at Aomine as he did. Those were the times when Aomine was only half listening, and concentrating on his job even less. Rather he was back to staring at Kagami's hard chest. Even with how strong it appeared to be, Aomine imagined how supple the skin would feel. The nipples especially. How they'd pebble up when he discovered how sensitive they were to the texture of his fingers or tongue.

Truthfully, he'd been so sucked in by his attraction that he hadn't for one second considered why he was so interested. Anybody who knew him, knew that the one and only Aomine Daiki was a boobs man. He'd always been attracted to women for this single womanly feature. He specifically dated women with squishy, round, D cup sized tits.

The bigger the better.

Until today. Right now, Kagami's chest was the only exception to his titty bias. This man was sexy enough that every inch of him was worth Aomine's precious, undivided attention.

"…sure you don't want to take another look at it?" The little sarcastic smirk on his face made Aomine narrow his eyes. He was now standing by the sink, after notifying Kagami that he'd fixed the problem.

"You don't think I'm qualified to fix a leak?"

Kagami shook his head, his smirk growing into a grin.

"No it's just… it didn't seem like you were really focusing on your job. You were staring at my chest almost the entire time."

Aomine paused. Then raised an eyebrow as if he had no clue what Kagami was talking about.

"You're crazy."

"And hot apparently… but come on. Admit it. I might not be some smart engineering student, but I can tell when someone is checking me out. Guys are more open about it than girls, I guess."

"Tch… and what makes you so sure? Maybe I'm just jealous of your looks." He closed his eyes and turned away slightly. He couldn't even sound convincing, much less look like it.

"You don't exactly wear your heart on your sleeve. But you're not the jealous type… what do you have to be jealous of anyways? You're not so bad yourself."

And he was right. Aomine was the type of guy who was confident enough in his sex appeal that he didn't worry about his clothes, his shoes, or his hair. None of that. He didn't go out of his way to dress nice. And he sure as hell didn't feel the need to compete with other guys.

Well, for one thing, Kagami wasn't as much of an idiot as he thought. And two… Kagami digged him. The interest was mutual. Though he never even wanted a guy's attention until now.

"Thanks… but it's not like I was staring that hard."

"You totally were."

Aomine didn't know what to say. Now that Kagami called him out. And was grinning like this was funny to him.

"Anyways, thanks for fixing my sink. I didn't want it to be broken when my friends came over for New Year's."

"Friends? I thought you said there wasn't anything here in Japan for you."

Kagami had told Aomine that he was considering moving back to America very soon.

"Yeah. But I meant career wise. I have friends. And… I just broke up with someone so… it's not like I have to worry about leaving my soulmate behind or anything. And my friends said they'd come visit."

Aomine immediately forgot about that first part, and didn't care about that last part.

"So your ex is the real reason you want to go back." He crossed his arms, leaning back against the counter.

"Even if it is, it's not really your business." Kagami glared slightly at Aomine, who was wearing a smirk like he knew the whole story already.

He wasn't fazed by Kagami suddenly getting defensive. He could see right through the act. At first he was honestly just attracted to Kagami because of his body. And because he'd never looked at guys before, things were already weird between them from the beginning. But interesting. Aomine hadn't thought much about what kind of person Kagami was. But since he'd began learning things about Kagami anyways, why not see what else was underneath all that hotness?

"Just relax. It's not like I care how you broke up with her."

Kagami almost rolled his eyes. Aomine was so full of it.

"Yeah you do."

"I don't. I've had at least 10 different girlfriends. I know how relationships tend to end."

Kagami shook his head. Getting even more irritated, especially with Aomine's rhyme ringing in his head.

"They weren't even a girl. Shows how much you know about relationships… aho."

Aomine and Kagami silently stared at each other… one smirking while the other slowly realized what he just said.

"So you're gay."

"Shut up, jerk." He was glad that Aomine couldn't see or hear how fast his heart was beating. "I've had crushes on girls before… the first person I dated just happened to be a guy."

Aomine stood there, all quiet and analyzing him with that sharp, intense gaze of his. And it made Kagami even more nervous. So he kept talking, as if explaining himself. Like he was in trouble or something.

"I met him at the gym. He was cool and nice… and open about his sexuality. So I kind of went with it and we started a relationship after a few dates."

It was a hell of a lot missing from the story. Like what his name was, how old he was, what he looked like. Those little details that Kagami had no idea Aomine wanted to know, but wasn't going to ask. And Kagami left out the part about how he easily fell in love with this person. But the relationship only turned out to be parasitic and destructive. So Kagami called it off. A little later than he should have.

Maybe… maybe it was because he liked Aomine. As a friend at least. He'd like to get to know him some more. It wouldn't be so bad having a friend who was as… well… he kind of didn't have any words for what Aomine was. He just liked him.

"I still get angry when I think about all the things that happened…"

Why was he still talking about this?

"I thought it was none of my business."

"It isn't. But… I just.."

Aomine had stopped smirking a long time ago, beginning to frown when he realized how uncomfortable Kagami looked. He didn't know if Kagami was embarrassed about his sexuality or what, but Aomine didn't get a kick off of making people feel like crap.

Not the people he liked.

"Just forget it." He picked up his toolbox, grabbed the parts he removed and replaced underneath Kagami's sink, and began to walk away.

Though Kagami was standing in his way, so Aomine soon had to stop. Standing close enough to realize that he was slightly taller than Kagami. Probably. He couldn't tell for sure because Kagami was looking down at the floor. He didn't know if Kagami was sad. Aomine wasn't a man of many kind words. So he stood there, waiting for Kagami to move out of his way.

"Hey…"

Kagami flinched, Aomine's voice freeing him from his private thoughts.

"I was wrong. I don't know you. Or your.. boyfriend. Whoever he is."

Kagami knew – based on his impression of Aomine – that it took balls for the dark haired man to even admit that he was wrong. Aomine was proud. And probably had major issues admitting things like that.

"But you should move on."

"I'm over him."

"Ha.." Aomine didn't really believe that. Just like Kagami could see through his bull, Aomine could practically smell a lie. He was also a pretty good liar. "If you are, then prove it."

"Prove that I'm over my ex?"

Aomine could almost feel Kagami's reaction to his challenge. And Kagami sensed Aomine's. Excitement was practically pouring off them in waves.

"Can you?"

For the first time, they were wearing the same little smirk. And equally attracted to the way it looked on the other's lips. Aomine thought he was clever enough to once again trick Kagami into giving him what he wanted. And Kagami was simply amused as he read Aomine's thoughts as plain as day.

"You're not getting me to kiss you that easily."

"You're loss"

Kagami turned away, tears in his eyes as he held back his laughter. He wondered if Aomine's feelings were hurt. Probably not. His ego for sure.

"Nice try." Kagami closed his eyes, wiping away the tears.

With Kagami stepping to the side, Aomine had enough room to walk out of the kitchen, on his way to the door. He ignored Kagami telling him to wait. It may be small, but he felt a sense of satisfaction. His first day on the job hadn't been so bad. His client could have been many things, but none of them turned out to be as bad as he thought.

"Oi!"

It was interesting meeting someone like Kagami. At first he'd been drooling over the redhead like he was a piece of meat. But at least now Aomine knew that it didn't take a large pair of breasts to make him go gaga.

"You're really acting like a jerk, you know?"

Aomine paused, a little surprised when Kagami ran past him to beat him to the door. He blocked the entrance, stopping Aomine from going anywhere.

"You pushed me just so you could come in. Now you're in a hurry to leave?"

"This equipment is heavy."

"You can hold it for a little while longer. I can tell you're strong under your uniform."

"…I'm taller than you too."

"Yeah I... wait what?"

He looked up. Both of them realizing at the same time that they didn't exactly see eye to eye.

"See?"

"Who cares?" Kagami crossed his arms, a little bummed that he was shorter by like a half an inch or whatever. "I'm probably stronger than you."

"You wouldn't know for sure until you've seen me naked."

They shared a look that clearly expressed both of their interest in that happening.

And Kagami wanted to be completely straight forward from this point on.

"I just got out of a bad relationship. But I'm trying to move on."

"Good. You should."

"… you're not a bad guy. Maybe we can hang out. And see where it goes?"

He wasn't expecting Kagami to be shy about it. But at the same time, he was making Aomine feel like the girl.

"What are you doing tomorrow?"

"Nothing really. Just working." Kagami said, trying to play it cool. He didn't want Aomine to know how excited he was.

"Let's get lunch."

"Sounds good… but no kissing. No holding hands. And definitely no sex for the first few months."

Once again, Aomine didn't even know what to say. Of course he thought Kagami was hot and could prepare a list of all the explicit and gay things he looked forward to doing. But since finding out that the interest was mutual, not a single perverted thought entered his mind. Aomine shrugged, missing the little smile on Taiga's face.

Aomine looked bored. But really, butterflies were going wild in his stomach. He didn't want Kagami to know how much he was affected right now.

"You _can_ ask for my number though."

"I don't have a pen."

"Are you serious? People don't write their numbers down anymore. It thought you dated at least 10 girls."

Or more like slept with. He didn't want to reveal that to Kagami and mess up his chances. Because there was not a single relationship that he had committed to where sex hadn't been an immediate reward. Aomine wouldn't have agreed to it.

"Give me your phone, aho."

But Kagami was the first person to make him interested in that kind of relationship.

Before he could put down his tool box, Taiga reached into his back pocket to get it. He noticed Aomine didn't have a phone lock, which was weird, and then he typed and saved his number.

"It's up to you to actually call me and tell me where to meet you."

"What about text?"

"It's fine… but call me if you don't want to be stood up tomorrow."

He didn't want Aomine to know this right away, but he had a pretty sexy voice. Kagami wanted to hear it as often as possible. It was something he'd love to get used to.

"Are we splitting the bill?" Aomine asked.

Though he had every intention of treating Kagami. He just wanted to see what Kagami would say…

"Well… I have a big appetite. I'm probably going to eat more than you so –"

"I'll pay... bakagami." Of course. Kagami also had a humble side. He'd never have guessed.

"See you tomorrow."

"Only if you call me." Kagami resisted the urge to give in and let Aomine have a kiss. He didn't exactly know what it was, Aomine wasn't endearing or kind or flattering at all. Kagami was still charmed by him.

That didn't mean he was going back on his no sex rule. He needed that restriction so that he could be sure he was ready for another long term relationship. However… he'd consider letting Aomine get a kiss sooner than expected.

Kagami opened the door for Aomine, the cold air from outside barely bothering him. Though it

was warm and toasty inside of his house.

"I hate to kick you out."

"You're not." Daiki muttered before stepping outside, immediately remembering the torture of waiting only five minutes for Kagami to come open the door. That had been about… an hour ago?

"If I realized you were checking me out sooner, maybe I would have made tea and invited you to stay."

"And maybe you forgot that the only reason I came was to fix your sink. I wasn't expecting a half-naked redhead without a single full sized tit to answer the door and make me gay."

"You forgot the love at first sight part, Ahomine."

He grunted, his back turned as he continued walking.

The redhead almost said something. But he began to feel like he was coming off as desperate again. This time to convince Aomine to stay. Talk. Hang out. Make out. Whatever they would end up doing (as long as it was PG… -13 for any dirty language they used). But Aomine kept walking. Kagami knew that they had really just met. Kagami didn't want things moving too fast.

Maybe that's what Aomine was thinking too.

And Taiga really needed time to figure out if… if there really was a reason to stay in Japan.

He stepped back, and slowly closed the door. It was up to Aomine to make the next move in their relationship. If Aomine called, and their date went well tomorrow… he'd invite Aomine over for New Year's. Let Aomine meet his friends. Taste his food. Have some drinks.

And start the New Year off right.

As he walked down the stairs and away from Kagami's house, Aomine couldn't help but feel like their meeting began like some cliché porno. But when he opened the door to his white truck, he looked over his shoulder, eyes lingering on Kagami's house. He wondered what Kagami was going to do with him gone. Who he was going to go hang out with. Or whatever he did on Fridays.

And that single thought was enough to make him anticipate the next time they got together. He secretly hoped that his first day on the job turned out to be the start of something new and incredible.

 **Please Check out:**

 **Part 2 – Let's Talk**

 **Part 3 – New Year's ( Not Posted)**

 **Part 4 - Taking Off (Not Posted)**


	2. Let's Talk

Summary: **Aomine's first day on the job. He meets his very first client. And experiences his first real romance**.

Rating: **R**

Warnings: AoKa, **Language, Mature Themes, Smut Later On**

AN: Decided to make UATH a series. Please enjoy :)

 **Underneath all that Hotness**

Part 2

 **Let's Talk**

Today was December 31st. The last day before the New Year, and Kagami was throwing a little party for the countdown.

It was one of the coldest days all year. And there was so much snow outside, it looked beautiful. Kagami still had his lights hanging up. And his Christmas tree sitting over in the corner. It still felt like Christmas in Tokyo with all the snowing. But since it was one of his favorite times of the year, he always left up his decorations until the spirit of Christmas was truly gone.

But in honor of New Year's, the house was sparkling and glittering, silver, red, and black decorations spread throughout. Everything was almost ready for when his friends arrived. There were still balloons to hang, a few center pieces to set up, drinks to pour, and food to make. Kagami was tired and sore from doing almost _all_ the work, despite having a friend around to help.

"Taiga!"

He was walking out of his room when Himuro called him. He'd just taken a shower and put on comfortable clothes. There was this outfit laying on his bed that he was supposed to wear to look _hot_ for Aomine tonight. Kagami wasn't the least bit interested in putting it on. Nope. For him, tonight wasn't about impressing a guy he'd only been dating for a week. It was about having fun and catching up with his closest friends. Though, he was secretly thrilled to introduce them all to Aomine Daiki. Who everyone knew he was dating already.

Thanks to Tatsuya. And the many nameless, faceless people Kagami didn't even know that liked to gossip about his love life.

On his way down to see what Tatsuya wanted, Kagami wondered how everyone was going to respond to Aomine, and even more so, how he would respond to them.

Thinking hard about it, he didn't notice Tatsuya at the bottom of the steps, resisting the urge to barf when he caught a glimpse of what Kagami had on. Jeans that were (a little) too loose and had _bleach_ stains in them. Ugh. He hoped Taiga was trying to be funny right now.

"What in God's name are you wearing?" Himuro hissed the minute Kagami's foot touched the carpet downstairs. "Did you forget about the outfit I picked out?"

The redhead looked shocked by Himuro's tone, before he rolled his eyes. He'd been doing that a lot lately. Especially around a certain someone whose name started with an 'A.' Ended with 'incredible.' As in unbelievable. Like Tatsuya was being right now.

"No I didn't forget. I already told you that I feel weird about wearing stuff like that."

"But the shorts make your butt-"

"Tatsuya! Do you really think I want him staring at my ass all night?" Kagami walked past, into the living room with a face that was beet red. Maybe he shouldn't have told Tatsuya how his first meeting with Aomine went down, how Aomine had a hard time keeping his eyes where they should be, on Kagami's sink and not on the little towel riding low on his hips. Praying it would fall.

That had been Aomine's luckiest day. You usually didn't catch Kagami showing off his goods for attention (though it had been by accident the day Aomine came). Tatsuya knew that. So why the hell was he whining about it?

"Well you can at least get rid of that hideous sweater."

And that was so uncalled for.

"My mom got this for me on Christmas and my name's on it." He argued, just seconds from using the tape he was holding on Tatsuya's mouth, if that would shut him up.

The brunette wasn't making any sense. There was nothing wrong with Kagami's clothes. And if Aomine stared at anything, it would be his chest, not his ass. Which - by the way - also made no sense! Considering Aomine was as straight as an arrow. Maybe a little bent out of shape after meeting one of the hottest redheads he'd ever seen. But before, he'd totally loved women with big breasts. Not flat-chests. Or tight asses. None of the things that made Kagami popular with the gay guys.

Maybe it was stupid to think this, based on how their first meeting went. But he was kind of insecure. Just a little. Even after Aomine had practically drooled over his wet, half-naked body.

"I apologize for offending the _sweater_ that Kagami-kaasan bought for you. But Aomine-kun would appreciate if you try to look nice for him. He is your boyfriend after all."

Kagami huffed before climbing up on a chair with a few balloons in one hand and some tape.

"I've barely known him for one freakin week. I keep telling you that he's not my-"

"Yet you spend _all_ your time with him. Always going on dates."

"You're exaggerating. I don't spend ALL my time with him. And going on dates doesn't mean he's my boyfriend."

"No, it just means you're madly in love with him."

A balloon popped as Kagami was taping it to the wall, causing him to wince before he could respond. While he recovered from the sound, Himuro grabbed another black balloon and handed it to him, deflated. Kagami glared and snatched it away. After all the verbal abuse _Tatsuya_ was putting him through, he couldn't be nice and blow up the damn balloon for him?

"We're not in love," Kagami mumbled, tying two inflated balloons together, one red and one black.

"Sure. But promise I'll be the best man at the wedding?"

No one could blame him for wanting Tatsuya off his back. But Himuro did make a good point: Kagami was in some serious denial about the amount of time he was spending with his… interest. Kagami went along with his instincts, not thinking too hard about how attached he was becoming. However, in Kagami's defense, it was weird to think of the reclusive... yet _likeable_ Aomine Daiki as one day his husband. Way weird. They weren't even at the lover stage. Not yet boyfriends, either.

It was easiest to call Aomine a friend with..uh.. special privileges..

Himuro titled his head to the side, wondering when Kagami was going to argue back. He had a small habit of relentlessly teasing Kagami about his love life. But not to be annoying, only to get the redhead to open up and talk about it. Taiga tried being secretive about his crushes. Even when Himuro was one person he should trust the most.

He put down the microphone to the Karaoke machine, then dropped down to sit on the couch, watching Kagami brood as he hung balloons. It was such a rare expression that it sparked Himuro's curiosity even more. He had to find out what was really going on with Taiga and Aomine-kun.

The last he remembered, Kagami was saying how great it was to be single again. Not surprising. Since Kagami said that right after ending his relationship with his first asshole of a boyfriend. When it finally ended, Himuro knew the last thing Kagami wanted was to be trapped with someone yet again. So… what on earth did Aomine do to get Kagami to call quits on his 'I shall stay single' pledge?

"I've been meaning to ask, but… what's so special about him?"

The question got Kagami's attention. He didn't say anything right away. Not sure how to respond.

He'd never even told anyone that he was dating again. Or the name of the person he was seeing. It was while bartending one night that he mentioned he'd recently met a guy, and didn't go into details. He'd been talking to a woman he worked with, who already knew about his sexuality. He hadn't told her anything other than they went out to lunch a few times. Still, she got strangely excited to hear all about his "new man," while Kagami insisted it wasn't like that. But as soon as he returned to work the next night, news had spread like wildfire among the employees AND the damn customers. Himuro found out in no time. He worked during the day, at the same bar as Taiga, who worked nights. Since switching to a day shift, he hadn't seen much of Kagami, and they mostly kept in touch over phone. So at first, he thought that people were having fun spreading rumors about his best friend who was just a very sexy, very single, bisexual redhead. Which was a juicy subject for gossip. Yet in the past week, Taiga certainly seemed... busier. Causing Himuro to suspect the rumors were true.

"… well?" Himuro encouraged, a tiny smirk of interest on his lips.

Kagami looked seriously unsure of what he should say. Or better yet, how to say it.

"He's .. he's … uh...not like all the other guys." Translation: Aomine was special.

It sounded simple, yes. It was true, of course. His thoughts raced and his pulse sped up, trying to think of what else to say. He didn't know all the reasons why he liked seeing the dark blue haired man, or looking into his dark blue eyes, or hearing his dark, sensual voice… or why none of that was as sexy as the aloof, easygoing attitude Aomine had. Of course, the physical attraction was easy to feel, to talk about. It was harder to understand the emotions. Or everything else that came along. Probably because they'd just met.

"Wow… how romantic."

"I know." Kagami knew Tatsuya was being sarcastic. He honestly hated when Tatsuya did it. But it was always amusing when Aomine was the one doing it. "I'm not good at expressing how I feel about him yet. And he isn't the affectionate type. It doesn't really bother me."

"You can't be serious. Not even a kiss?"

Kagami went completely still. That word alone enough to cause goosebumps, the imaginary hairs on his shaved skin standing up all at once. He shivered, remembering how Aomine had called him that night. Just like Kagami told him to. And how Aomine had taken Kagami out to lunch the next day. Just like he said he would. Yes, Aomine had done absolutely everything right. Up until the point when they were walking side by side through a park. It seemed romantic at the time. Even with the freezing wind. Ice on the trees. Twelve inches of snow on the ground. Aomine – like a true _lover boy_ – didn't care one bit about the no kissing rule. And broke it on their very first date. When he pushed an unsuspecting Kagami up against one of those hard, ice cold trees, holding him by the chin, and leaning in.

Afterwards, he tried to play it off, saying how Kagami's lips looked a little cold. Kagami tried to be angry about it. Obviously, it was too early in the relationship to let Aomine suddenly.. sweep him away like that. Give him kisses he couldn't reasonably resist. Yet he admitted Aomine never agreed to play by his rules. So it's not like he had gone back on his word.

No. Kagami knew the real reason Aomine kissed him like that. He was so annoyingly confident all the time... and honestly, Kagami thought it was incredibly attractive. That didn't mean he was going to let Aomine do what he wanted. They talked about it over the phone that same night… and agreed that a few kisses here and there wouldn't hurt. They were adults. They should at least try to have reasonable self-control over their carnal desires. He told Aomine to ask first. Kagami didn't want Aomine gaining the satisfaction of surprise kissing him all the time and making him look like some clueless idiot.

"Yeah, we kissed. A little." Kagami mumbled as he got down from the chair he'd been standing on to hang balloons.

Over on the couch, Himuro shook his head. Disappointed. Sad. Insulted. These were all things that Taiga should be feeling about his new relationship. Unless Aomine was blind and had no idea that he was dating a hottie. Otherwise, how could that man possibly be gay? If he could go a whole week of dating Taiga and only kiss him a _little_?

"At least tell me you slept with him."

"Nope."

"..."

When Himuro finally shut up, it was Kagami's turn to glance over and see what was up with him. The expression on his pretty boy face was highly unamused, and clearly said that he refused to believe Kagami wasn't sleeping with his new boyfriend. But **if it was true** , Taiga better explain what the hell was going on _this instant_.

Kagami opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Tatsuya's single visible eye widened. Like he figured it out.

"Oh no… is he uglier than the last guy you dated?"

Kagami froze, words caught in his throat as he gaped at Tatsuya. Before bursting into tears, his laughter filling the living room.

"What?" Himuro remained serious. "If he is, I don't blame you."

Kagami shook his head, wiping away tears.

"No way. You're totally wrong. He's hotter than any of the guys that I - or you - have dated. Trust me." Now Kagami couldn't wait to see Tatsuya's reaction when he met Aomine later tonight. He looked at Himuro, a smile on his lips. "We haven't had sex because I made this rule. We're gonna wait a few months." he explained, as if it was a normal decision.

Which it wasn't. Himuro thought. He wasn't an expert on relationships. But he knew Taiga well.

"A few **_months_**?"

Kagami gulped.

"Yeah..."

It was Himuro's turn to laugh.

"You're funny, Taiga. Unless you're actually a virgin or Aomine-kun is a saint, what's the point in waiting that long? If he really likes you, he's not going to bang you and then move on."

"Well… I'm not so sure about that. He's not like you or me. He uh.. he only dated girls up until we met. He's never even been attracted to guys other than me..."

Himuro stared, his expression blank. And it freaked Kagami the hell out. He couldn't tell what Tatsuya was thinking. It didn't look like he was going to say anything either, so Kagami continued - nervousness settling in as he prepared to voice some doubts he'd been hiding.

"Which worries me.. because I don't understand why he was checking me out in the first place. I'm obviously not a woman. He likes boobs, and I don't have those. But he.. for some reason he gives me these looks. Like he wants to.. I don't really know. All I know is that it didn't take me long to realize that he thought I was hot when he came to fix my sink. He didn't even try to hide the fact that he was interested… sometimes I wonder how things would be different if.. maybe if I was more seductive, slutty or something and didn't care about sleeping with someone I just met... would I have just let him-"

"Taiga."

He had to make Kagami stop. Or else he'd continue on this pointless rant. But that wasn't the issue.

How clueless could Kagami be?

"I'm not making any sense, am I?"

"No," Himuro sighed, a gentle smile creeping up on his lips. "You're not. But I want you to calm down. Breathe. And think for one second."

"About what?" He crossed his arms and legs, sitting beside Himuro on the couch.

"Baka." Himuro flicked Kagami - hard - on the forehead, hoping it was enough to knock some sense into that empty head. It only made Kagami growl in confusion and rub his forehead.

"What was that for?"

"To toughen you up. You were sounding like Aomine-kun's bitch."

"What!? How!?"

"You went from being insecure over your body to suggesting you would have let him fuck you just because he _looked_ like he wanted to. Were you not sounding like his bitch?"

"I.. I was trying to make a point."

"And what point was that?"

His eyelids slowly fell over his dull red orbs, their fiery glow lost as Kagami continued laying out his concerns.

"He's not gay, Tatsuya. So why did he even ask me out? What if he's using me to satisfy his curiosity about gay sex? Because he's bored with women?"

"And what if he is?"

The look on Kagami's face said it all.

"I don't want to be used. Like I'm a dumb sex doll, and not a person with feelings." The face of his ex flashed in his mind. "If I was just looking for casual sex, I wouldn't be bothered with worrying about this. But I have a feeling that.. we should give ourselves a chance to make this special. I'm.. I'm not saying he has to say he loves me before we have sex, or ask me to marry him, or any of that cheesy, Disney bullshit. But he has to care enough to not treat me like I'm a toy."

He could go on and on about why this mattered to him, pursuing this thing between him and Aomine. Right now, their "thing" was to go out to lunch, kiss (a _little_ ), and talk on the phone at night. It already felt like they were perfect for each other. But that scared him a little, he hesitated to rush. To effectively chase Aomine away by becoming too clingy too soon.

Then again, there was that "thing." It wasn't love. Honestly. And it certainly wasn't defined by how physically attracted he was to Aomine. It was just some "thing." Making his blood feel like fire. Aggressive, hungry, and consuming. Spreading wild. Underneath his skin. Invisible to see. But real, and he felt it.

"Oh Taiga.."

Himuro sensed the resentment in the air as Taiga likely had flashbacks to his past relationship. The brunette placed a hand of sympathy on his shoulder. Though with Kagami's exceptional instincts, he could feel animosity too, radiating off Himuro in waves. He tensed, wondering what Tatsuya was so pissed about. "Don't worry. If he turns out to be anything like your ex, I'll deal with him accordingly."

"... thanks."

Though he probably shouldn't say that.

Himuro essentially threatening Kagami's so called "boyfriend" didn't sit right with him. Aomine hadn't done anything wrong yet, and he had a pretty good feeling that bluenette wasn't the type of sadist that his ex was. The opposite actually. But too proud to admit how sweet he was on the inside.

Still, Taiga appreciated Tatsuya for trying to have his back.

"Don't thank me. Just remember why we wear these."

Together, they fingered the silver rings chained around their necks. The slightly older man appeared fond of the piece of jewelry, as if it was the most precious thing in the world.

"We share a bond deeper than anyone else. The only bond that can replace ours is the one you share with your love. The man or woman you decide to spend the rest of your life with."

Kagami nodded, staying quiet. He understood what Tatsuya was saying. But he wasn't going to trade this ring for the one he would one day wear around his finger when (if) he got married. His friendship and brotherhood with Tatsuya would always mean something to him. No matter how bad things got between them.

Parting ways with people he truly cared about was not easy for Kagami. He realized that when he'd struggled to break it off with his ex. Even after being treated terribly, used like a play thing. Kagami still hadn't wanted to break up. Though in the end, he'd been strong enough to do it - with the support of Tatsuya, his family, and other close friends. That didn't help him forget all the stupid, embarrassing, and desperate things he'd done– just to get his boyfriend to stay.

"Hmm.." Himuro checked the time on the wall. "We still have some time before everyone gets here…" An impish twinkle appeared in his eye when he returned his attention to Kagami. "Tell me more about Aomine-kun."

"Like what?"

When would Tatsuya be bored with discussing his love life? He was obsessed with someone he had yet to meet!

"How hot is he?"

"Seriously?" Why was that the only thing Tatsuya cared about? He doubted the brunette would be disappointed when he finally saw Aomine. But he'd probably feel salty when he found out how unfriendly the young engineering student was. Aomine wasn't the easiest person to ask questions or even have a conversation with. Kagami constantly found himself in situations where he had to think of what they should talk about next.

While it didn't seem to bother Aomine when Kagami talked his ear off, Himuro wouldn't be as lucky. He'd find himself immediately on Aomine's bad side.

"Yes, seriously."

"Why? I mean, you're gonna meet him in less than an hour. By the way, don't call him 'Aomine-kun,' it's going to annoy the crap out of him." Kagami started to stand and head towards the kitchen.

Himuro blinked, briefly wondering where the redhead was going. Their talk was not finished. He still had plenty of questions that needed answering before Kagami's new boyfriend arrived.

"Is he taller than you?"

Himuro blinked again, Kagami shooting a glare in his direction. He knew exactly what Taiga was thinking: why the hell did it matter? But of course it did. He had always pictured Taiga with a taller man. It went along nicely with his best friend's desire to be submissive in the bedroom. Which Himuro had helped Kagami to learn when he shoved copious amounts of gay erotica in his face, and tricked him into revealing a some of his gayest, wildest fantasies.

He hadn't been able to get Kagami to tell him everything. But that was okay. And Himuro could care less about the straight ones Kagami may (or may not) have. Tatsuya flirted with women all the time because they were pretty, nice, and he liked them. Even went out with them. But he was so gay… though not as gay as Taiga was, Himuro suspected.

"He's taller." Kagami revealed, since Tatsuya would find out anyways. He didn't bother to mention it was only an inch, or two.

"So… tall, dark, and handsome, huh?"

Kagami was slightly disturbed by how accurately that described Aomine Daiki.

"You'll see." he muttered. Tatsuya was too good at guessing when it came to stuff like this. Kagami decided to save himself from further embarrassment.

"Well, if he's as hot as you say _and_ taller than you, I approve one hundred percent."

"How superficial of you."

"Looks are everything, Taiga." He stood up, a hand on his hip. "Think about it. If you hadn't been as sexy as you are, Aomine never would have questioned his sexuality, and the two of you wouldn't have begun dating."

"…I guess you've got a point." Though Kagami didn't sound too sure about that.

"I know." Himuro smiled. "Now, if you both were to fall in love, that's fantastic. But, if you plan on getting married one day, I also think you two should be compatible on a personal level. Though.. I'm almost positive that in order to have a good marriage, you only need to love each other very much and have wonderful sex. Otherwise it'll lead to cheating. And cheating leads to divorce."

Kagami's brow twitched.

"Can we just focus on finishing up for the party?"

Himuro thought about it for a second. He'd much rather talk about Aomine. But Taiga didn't like to talk about him apparently.

"I suppose."

Kagami looked relieved, turning and walking out, going to the kitchen down the hall.

It was close to 6. He didn't know how late, early, or on time people would start arriving. Whatever the case, Kagami couldn't wait. Most of his friends were people he'd met when he came to Japan for his last year of high school. That had been about 3 years ago. And though most of his friends went off to college, Kagami had been the only one to go out and look for a job, figuring college wasn't for him. Even Tatsuya was a student at a university, only part time though. Ironic how most of his friends - even Ahomine - were students, but he wasn't. Nor did he feel left out of the circle. He much rather work and gain experience than study every day, all day. Buried in a pile of books.

But college didn't seem to be that hard. Kagami's friends were always going out to drink, or to some party every other night it seemed. He wondered if Aomine did stuff like that.

There was a lot he had learned about the dark haired bluenette in just a week of knowing him. But there had to be a lot more he didn't know.

One thing he'd failed to mention to Himuro was that Aomine was a lot like his dad. Different in important ways too.

Kagami remembered returning to Los Angeles for Christmas. Seeing his mom and dad reminded him how much he missed America. And he knew if he was to ever go back, it would be for good. But he'd spent a lot of time alone with his dad, just the two of them. His father was an older, taller version of him, with longer, shaggy looking red hair. There were many times when they'd been mistaken for brothers in public because of their striking resemblance. But their personalities were pretty distinct. He'd always looked up to his father, saw him as a big, strong hero, and thought there was no one else in the whole world like him.

But it turned out, Aomine had a lot in common with his father. Mature. Though Aomine didn't always act like it, he was serious most of the time. Rarely smiling, though he smirked pretty often. Never lost his cool. Just like his dad. Tough on the outside, a softie inside. His dad - even to this day - looked at women with big breasts longer than those with smaller ones. But was also respectful of his wife and didn't stare for too long. And finally – the one thing he wished wasn't true of his dad or Aomine – they were smokers. Having about 3 – 4 cigarettes a day. Able to smoke 2, maybe 3 packs per week.

He figured if his father was ever to meet Aomine, it'd be like meeting your destined best friend. They'd never disagree or fight. They'd be BFF's.

Tonight, Kagami doubted Aomine was going to like every last one of his friends. Tatsuya – Kagami suspected – was definitely not going to be Aomine's favorite. But he hoped they could be civil with one another at least. It mattered to Kagami whether Aomine liked or hated his friends. And he hoped Aomine's friends (if there was such a thing) also were able to warm up to him.

That way everyone could be one big, happy family.

Kagami took the last platter out of the oven. The kitchen table was crammed with all this food that he and Tatsuya either cooked or bought (because they didn't want to cook everything). And an estimated 100 bottles of alcohol also crammed on the island countertop. While another hundred were in the refrigerator. In reality, they had more than enough food and booze to share. Kagami would do his best not to pig out on the food, but he wasn't much of a drinker to begin with.

From what he gathered, neither was Aomine. But Taiga's friends loved to drink. Especially Kiyoshi.

He and Himuro were bartenders, so they thought it would be cool to mix a few drinks for their friends tonight. In addition to having drinks, the plan tonight was just to mingle, catch up on things, hear some good music, dance (which Kagami wouldn't do), sing Karaoke (that neither), and maybe do a little gambling with cards.

The one thing they had to do, before everyone went home: watch fireworks from Kagami's backyard.

"Taiga?"

Kagami looked up, a bottle of rum in his hand as he began mixing a drink.

"I'm going to head upstairs to change. Make sure you listen for the doorbell."

"Alright." When Himuro turned to leave, Kagami flinched as he suddenly remembered something. "Hey, you bought sparklers for tonight, right?"

"Yup. There should be more than enough. I assumed Aomine would bring friends."

"I told him that he could." Kagami mumbled, not surprised to hear Aomine's name yet again out of Tatsuya's mouth. He hoped Himuro's curiosity over the bluenette would be satisfied tonight.

Or else he'd have something else to be concerned about.

"Great. Can't wait. Maybe he'll bring a hot friend or two for me to go home with tonight."

"Gross."

Himuro laughed on his way upstairs.

The next 15 minutes, Kagami spent them in silence. He spent about 10 of those minutes quietly staring at several options of alcohol on the counter. He was having a hard time deciding what drinks he should prepare for his guests. But the real difficulty was thinking of something new to surprise Aomine. A drink that he'd never had before. Naturally, he tried thinking of one that would suit Aomine's tastes.. but he had no idea what those were. Aomine was more of a smoker than a drinker, from what Kagami gathered.

He could wait until Aomine got here, ask Aomine what he wanted, and then make it for him. But where was the fun in that? Every weekend he worked as a bartender, serving drinks to hundreds of strangers. He was good at serving people the drinks they asked for. That was easy. That's what he got paid to do. But making a drink for Aomine wasn't the same as making a drink for anyone else. It just wasn't.

He thought he could figure something out. After going out a couple times with Aomine, he quickly discovered that he liked to guess things about Aomine. Instead of just flat out asking. They hadn't known each other for long, so Aomine sometimes seemed like one big puzzle to him.

But Kagami had learned a lot about Aomine already.

After a long period of indecisiveness, Kagami started to carefully inspect the glasses for signs of dirt or cracks. Then he turned around to face the sink counter - the one that Aomine repaired just recently - and tried to think of 5 different drinks he could make based on the alcohol brands in front of him.

When it was a little past 6, Kagami heard the chime of a doorbell. Not a single drink was made. Though Taiga had consumed a bit of alcohol while doing taste tests. Even the liquor in his system couldn't prevent him from getting nervous.

He felt like these last 6 hours of the year were about to change his life… though he was being quite dramatic.

"Taiga!" Himuro called, still upstairs.

"I'm getting it!" Kagami answered, already on his way down the hall.

"It must be Aomine- _kun_ ~"

Just before Kagami looked through the peep hole, he glanced over his shoulder, eyes narrowing in the direction of the staircase. So far, all Tatsuya had done was tease him about his feelings. It personally didn't bother Kagami too much, but he didn't want Aomine to be annoyed by it. Tatsuya better be on his "best" behavior tonight.

Kagami took a breather before he unlocked the door, turned the handle, and pulled it open, remaining calm as he welcomed the first guest.

 **Next:**

Part 3 – **New Year's** (Not Posted)

Part 4 – **Taking Off** (Not Posted)


End file.
